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I recently received an email from a Mr. Jay Humphrey, a helicopter pilot who flew combat in Afghanistan. He wrote because he’d read my column in the March/April issue of Rotorcraft Pro Magazine entitled “Listen and Learn.” Reading my article caused him to recall something he’d heard and then used to get himself out of a jam when he was overloaded during a combat rescue mission. I want to pass along his technique to you as it just might come in handy for you one day. I have used it on occasion and I can vouch for him. It does work. [Read More...]

There were also a number of notable accidents in the past months. The tour industry took several hits and an EC135 went in the water in Australia. While they all appear to be operations sided, it never hurts to regroup and ensure we are minding our Ps and Qs on the maintenance side. And here is one example that drives it home: http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/lax-maintenance-honolulu-b206/ [Read More...]

On October 20th, 2009, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published significant additions and alterations to the Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR). Several changes can be found in 14 CFR 61.129 which identifies the aeronautical experience to meet commercial pilot certification requirements. The changes made to the existing regulation were welcome by many within the ab initio helicopter training industry. However, some of the changes to the regulation may have facilitated instructional coddling that’s proving detrimental to our commercial pilot cadre. [Read More...]

In aviation we listen and we hopefully learn. When I arrived in Vietnam, I listened intently to the old guys to try and gain wisdom that would hopefully keep me alive. One bit of advice did save my life after dropping off four recon team members in an LZ that was a 100-foot hover hole in the jungle. [Read More...]

Have you ever used someone’s good idea to illustrate a point and it EXPLODES right in your face because you had never considered an alternative answer? It happened to me when I spoke at Helisuccess in Las Vegas last year. Let me explain. [Read More...]

After years of speculation, a new study released during Heli-Expo has confirmed there will be a shortage of helicopter mechanics over the next 18 years. I don’t know if that means “experienced” mechanics or just a head count, but with stated numbers of over 40,000 mechanics, now might be a time to brush off your resume. [Read More...]

A couple months ago, an article in the newspaper caught my eye. The article was titled “The First Air Taxi Coming to Dallas”. Initially, I thought a new Part 135 helicopter operator popped up and this was an attempt to market themselves in the area. However, this was not the case. The article provided an overview of the relationship between Uber and Bell (formerly Bell Helicopter), and how their newly founded joint venture Uber Elevate would launch in Dallas around 2023. This got me thinking... [Read More...]

For those who are helicopter history buffs, I recently ran across an interesting website. It chronicles the 100 year anniversary of a familiar company from its roots in the fixed-wing industry through today. [Read More...]

On 17 October 2017, a flight instructor and commercially rated pilot were practicing instrument approaches at the Molokai Airport (Hawaii) when they were lost from radar. Debris from the helicopter was found floating on the water northwest of the shores of Molokai. Although they were operating on an IFR flight plan, the flight was being conducted under VFR as a Part 91 training flight. (NTSB Identification: WPR18LA010) [Read More...]

That’s a question Rick Weatherford, copy editor and staff writer for Rotorcraft Pro, asked me recently. Rick casts a discerning editorial eye over everything I write for the magazine, so I suppose he became curious about what motivates me. [Read More...]